Vaporwave showcase at the Geek Easy shows off subversive repurposing

Put aside any preconceptions you’ve picked up like a virus on the internet regarding a lack of musical authenticity on the part of the vaporwave micro-genre. Vaporwave is more than just Soundcloud hype: It’s an ethereal substrain of ambient dance music that beguiles the listener with its hazy, addictive hooks; it only then dawns on said listener that much of the catchiness comes from a subversive repurposing of sound and imagery from a neon ’80s past into a subtle critique of the poisonous effects of nostalgia and indeed the whole pop-culture-industrial-complex. In other words, dayglo goes dark damn quick. Orlando is fortunate enough to have an emerging roster of local vaporwave arch-conceptualizers, most of whom are young enough not to be constrained by reverence for their sound sources – which makes for even more anarchic and satisfying juxtapositions. Local webzine SR50 curates a night of shimmering sound featuring Dan Mason, Orov, Yosai and Immalaise.

9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19 | The Geek Easy, 114 S. Semoran Blvd., Winter Park | 407-332-9636 | mygeekeasy.com | free